International and Global Studies

The Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Advanced Studies (International and Global Studies) is a unique course of study equips you with the ability to work in a global society. Its core major enables you to relate local and global trends, while your chosen specialisation and language training provide the regional expertise and linguistic competence to work in organisations with an international scope, and to communicate effectively across cultural and linguistic boundaries.

You will:

• complete a core program in International and Global Studies, including advanced coursework and a substantial final-year project
• undertake a modern language minor
• complete a second major (which may be an extension of the language minor)
• study abroad at one of our leading partner universities to diversify your study and provide first-hand international experience
• have the opportunity to undertake an internship, which will further position you to operate effectively as a global citizen and compete successfully in the international marketplace.

Requirements for completion

The International and Global Studies stream requires 192 credit points including:

(i) a program in International and Global Studies
(ii) A minimum of 12 credit points taken from the Open Learning Environment;
(iii) A second major*, which can either be converted from the language minor or be selected from the pool of majors in Table A/Table S;
(iv) Elective units from Table A and Table S as required to fulfil the credit points required for the degree.
(v) A minimum of 12 credit points of study abroad or exchange, that can be taken as a part of the major/minor or elective units.

A program in International and Global Studies requires 72 credit points from the Unit of Study table including:

(i) A major (48 credit points) in Global Studies;
(ii) 24 credit points of advanced coursework including a substantial final-year project or internship;
(iii) 36 credit points of a minor in one of the following: Arabic Language and Cultures, Chinese Studies, French and Francophone Studies, Germanic Studies, Hebrew (Modern), Indonesian Studies, Italian Studies, Japanese Studies, Korean Studies, Greek (Modern), or Spanish and Latin American Studies.

A major in Global Studies requires 48 credit points, including:
(i) 12 credit points of 1000-level units
(ii) 18 credit points of 2000-level units
(iii) 12 credit points of 3000-level selective units
(iv) 6 credit points of 3000-level Interdisciplinary Project units

* Students wishing to complete this stream within the Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Laws by undertaking the Bachelor of Advanced Studies, will complete the 48 credit points of combined Law compulsory units from years 1, 2 and 3 from the University of Sydney Law School Undergraduate table instead of a second major.

First year

Students take two core units.

INGS1003 International and Global Studies is an introduction to the key concepts of the field and an overview of contemporary issues of globalization and global society.

INGS1004 The Making of the Global Order traces the historical evolution of the global economy since the early modern period.

These core theoretical and historical units provide International and Global Studies students with the necessary skills for the following three years of undergraduate study. Students will also commence their chosen language studies and other electives.

Second year

Students take three core INGS units in addition to continuing their chosen language study and other electives.

INGS2601 Transnational Actors and Networks studies the interactions of four groups of transnational actors in the transnational public sphere – civil society, political, market and media – with a core focus on civil society interventions in the global political conversation.

INGS2602 The End of Empire and New States is a historical analysis of decolonization and foundation of new states in the Global South after the Second World War.

INGS2603 Dynamics of the Global Economy examines competing economic theories about the forces at the heart of the capitalist system, and how these forces have shaped the global economy.

Third year

In third year, students have a choice of two out of three INGS units.

INGS3602 Social Movements in the Global South builds on the insights from previous core units by applying a comparative lens to social movements in Latin America, the Middle East, North Africa, and Southeast Asia.

INGS3603 Conflict and its Consequences analyses the important conflicts of the last century: World War II and the Cold War, especially in Asia and Latin America, intra-communist conflicts, insurgencies, drug wars, religious wars and genocidal struggles and their consequences.

INGS3604 International Law: Rights, Power and Morality, which analyses the modern development of international law and its place in today’s world order, covering themes including sovereignty, hierarchy, human rights, humanitarian intervention, and international criminal law.

The third unit is a compulsory Faculty-wide interdisciplinary project unit, FASS3999/INGS3999 Interdisciplinary Impact, which will train you to apply your disciplinary expertise in interdisciplinary contexts.

Fourth Year

Students are recommended to complete their exchange in Semester 1 of fourth year. In the second semester, students will complete two advanced coursework units and a project or internship.

INGS4001 Global Mobilities treats migration flows, refugees, and seasonal labour movements as personal experience and political and economic processes.

INGS4002 Identity, Politics, Globalisation studies the intersection of globalization, identity, and politics by focusing on objects of global consumption that have brought together different forms of politics and formations of identity.

Students will complete INGS4003 INGS Project which will provide real-world project skills in preparation for the workplace, or apply to INGS4004 INGS Internship.

Commencing in Semester 2

Semester 2 admissions in the Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Advanced Studies (International and Global Studies) will need to note the following variations to their degree structure.

• Due to the sequential structure of language study, students will have the option to complete a short term study abroad or exchange in between semesters, or may have to complete language units of study whilst on study abroad/exchange.
• For students who wish to undertake a semester-long exchange, it may be necessary to obtain special permission for a 2000-level and 3000-level INGS core unit to be taken concurrently in the fourth semester of the degree.

We recommend that students commencing in Semester 2 seek degree planning advice from the Degree Director, Professor James Curran.

Contact/further information

Further information is available from the degree director, Professor James Curran,

Example Pathways

Example degree structure where the second major is converted from the language minor:

Example degree structure where the second major is taken from Table A/Table S: